It is very common for dogs to pull against their leashes while being walked. This generally results in an unpleasant and potentially dangerous walking experience for both the owner and the dog. Reducing or eliminating the pulling behaviour presents a challenge to the dog owner.
There are currently many different products that are available to reduce pulling behaviour. One such product is the Halti™, which is a type of head collar device. The Halti™ includes a first strap, which fastens behind the dog's ears, and a second strap, which is generally a noose that wraps around the dog's snout. The first and second straps are coupled to one another and a regular leash is hooked to the noose of the Halti™. When the dog pulls against the leash, the noose tightens and the dog's head is pulled in the direction of the walker. This sensation is aversive to the dog and therefore deters the dog from pulling against the leash.
Often, owners use headcollar devices as a means for training their dog to walk without pulling against the leash. The discomfort that the dog experiences when pulling against the headcollar is effective in reducing pulling when the device is on, however, when the owner switches to a neck collar, the dog usually returns to the pulling behaviour. Because the behaviour of the dog is only changed in response to the headcollar, this is not an effective training device.
It is therefore desirable to provide an animal training device for facilitating anti-pulling behaviour training for dogs.